Diving suit



NOV- 13, 1945 J. w. BRowNE DIVING SUIT Filed Jan. 22, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 13, 1945. J. w. BRowNE DIVING SUIT Filed Jan. 22, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 13, 1945. J. w. BRowNE DIVING SUIT Filed Jan. 22, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIINUHIIIIH INov. 13, 1945. J. w. BRowNE DIVING SUIT Fired Jan. 22, 1942 e sheets-sheet 4 Hummm AIE (mFLATmN) @um Jahn WEI-awa? 52) www Nov. 13, 1945.' J. w. BRowNE DIVING SUIT Filed Jan. 22, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 13, 1945. J. w. BRowNE 2,388,674

DIVING SUIT Filed Jan. 22, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 l. I uhm WE1/m9 Patented Nov. i3, 1945 DIVING SUIT John W. Broc, aukesha, Wis., assigner to Di Equipment and Salvage Co., Inc., Milwuke, is., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 22, 1942, Serial No. 427,736

(Cl. Gil- 70) This invention relates to improvements in diving suits.

The conventional present-day commercial diving equipment consists of a suit or diving dress of exible waterproof material open at the neck sumciently to enable the diver to step into the suit. VVThe large neck opening is thereafter closed by a metal plate on which the helmet is mounted. The most common method' employed for effecting the connection between this helmet supporting plate and the neck of the suit is by a series of bolts which clamp the neck rim of the dress to the plate and which have to be individually tightened up. Thus it requires considerable time to dress the diver.

The diving suit above described is known as the "ventilated type as air must be pumped into it from the surface to supply oxygen to the diver and also to offset the water pressure as the diver descends.

The difficulties and objections to this ventilated type suit are deemed obvious. Failure of the pump, tangling of the air hose, and the excessive power necessary to provide the pressure required as the depth increases are but a few of its undesirable features.

The present invention overcomes all of these objections by providing a diving suit which is entirely self-contained in that the divers oxygen supply and the air pressure source for expanding the suit to oiset water pressure are carried with him and are at all times under his direct control.

It is recognized that the broad concept of a self-contained divers suit or apparatus which would enable the diver to be wholly independent of surface assistance is not new. Many schemes have been proposed in an elort to attain this desideratum, but as far as known no one heretofore has succeeded in producing a practical and reliable solution to the problem. This invention, on the other hand, has been proven successful in every respect by actual tests including dives in excess of four hundred feet.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention t provide a diving suit which incorporates a novel and entirely practical manner of having the diver carry his own supply of oxygen and inflation air.

In a self-contained suit of the type to which this invention appertains, the air is not exhausted from the suit except when the diver intends to reduce buoyancy or during ascent when pressure inside the suit must be relieved. The air exhaled by the diver thus stays in the circulatory system. It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a diving suit equipped with means for purifying the air exhaled by the diver, that is, removing the carbon dioxide from the exhaled air and returning the same to the suit interior.

Another object of this invention is to provide a more comfortable diving suit and one which the diver can be more readily dressed in. With this thought in mind, it is a further object of this invention to provide a diving suit in which the dress or suit proper is made in two pieces, pants and shirt, joined at the waist.

Inasmuch as the establishment of a fluid-tight juncture between the shirt and pants requires their waistband portions to overlap snugly, and as it is desirable to restrict the waist dimension of the dress to a comfortable dimension, it is a further object of this invention to provide a novel waistband construction for the shirt and pants which enables the same to be stretched to provide a large opening to facilitate dressing the diver and which in its normal condition more nearly ilts the waist of the diver.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a diving suit so designed that the helmet may be left Joined to the shirt portion of the dress so as to preclude the possibility of leakage as a result of improper or hurried attachment of the helmet tothe dress.

It is also an object of this invention to provide 'an improved and greatly simplified manner of attaching the helmet to the shirt portion of the Another object of this invention is to provide a helmet for a diving suit of the character described which affords greater visibility and obviates the necessity for turning the head in the helmet.

Another object of this invention is to provide a helmet for diving suits of the character described which has a breathing mask and air passages built therein and through which the air exhaled by the diver is conducted exteriorly of the helmet for passage through an air purler and through which the purified air fortified with additional oxygen returns to the interior of the suit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a helmet of the character described having an earphone and microphone built into it for connection with a telephone line which forms part of a combination lifeline and telephone cable, by plugging the end of the cable into a socket conveniently mounted on the exterior of the helmet.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel valve in the wall of the helmet with an dened by the appended claims, it being under stood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as'come within'the scopbf the The accompanying drawings illustrate several complete examples ofthe physical embodiments of the invention constructed in accordance with the best modes so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view or a diving suit embody-A ins this invention in position on a diver:

Figure2isabackviewthereof:

Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of the helm and adjacent portion of the suit:

Figure 4 isa longitudinal sectional view through the helmet taken on the plane of the line I-l in Figure 3:

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the valves used inthe helmet to control the air m8881383 j Figure 6 is a view of the helmet partly in top elevation and partly in horizontal section;

Figure 'l is a detail sectional view taken through Figure 6 on the plane of the line 1-1 and illus trating the air relief valve which may be operated by the dlvers head;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view through the helmet, said view being taken on the plane of the line l-l in Figure 8:

Figure 9 is a bottom view of the sole of one of the shoes;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view through the sole illustrating the construction of the shoes, said view being taken on the plane of the line I l--Il in Figure 9:

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the front portion of the clamping band of the uidtight juncture between the waistbands of the shirt and pants;

Figure l2 is a perspective view of the hinged rigid inner waistband which forms part of this juncture;

Figure 13 is a. perspective view of the waist portion of the pants and illustrating the manner in which it may be stretched to facilitate dressing and undressing the diver; and Y Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the air and oxygen supply circuits of the apparatus.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates that portion of the diving suit known as the dress and which comprises in this instance a shirt 8 and pants 1 separably joined "at the waist with a fluid-tight juncture indicated generally by the numeral l.

The shirt 8 has a neckband 9 to which a helmet l0 is secured. The helmet is preferably cast of suitable metal such as an aluminum alloy. The shirt and pants of the dress are made of flexible waterproof material and the legs of the pants, as

which the diver may be called upon to work.

The waist portion of the pants consists of a band of rubber secured to the fabric of the pants along substantially V-shaped lines il in front and back. The sides of the fabric pants adjacent to the narrow parts of the rubber waistband are abruptly enlarged as at Il. This, and the double V-shaped line of the juncture of the rubber band to the inelastic upper portion of the pants allows the band to be stretched a substantial amount to facilitate dressing and undressing the diver. It likewise enables the waist portion of the pants to fit the body o f the diver without excessive bulging.

The waist portion of the shirt 8 is provided with a rubber waistband I5 similar to the band I3 and attached to the shirt in the same manner.

It is to be observed with relation to the attachment of these rubberl waistbands that the V- shaped contour of their junction to the pants and shirt gives the juncture a perimeter considerably greater than that of the outer edge of the band. It is this fact together with the abrupt bulges Il in the sides of the. shirt and pants which allows the rubber waistbands to be stretched.

After the diver pulls on the pants, a rigid metal waistband ls 1s placed about the waist of the diver and the rubber waistband of the pants stretched over the metal band. The metal band as best shown in Figure l2 has a channel-shaped cross section with the channel facing outwardly, and consists of two sections hingedly connected as at I1 with their free ends provided with an overlapping joint Il so that the channel-shaped cross section is substantially continuous about the entire band. The hinged construction of the band allows the same to be applied about the waist of the diver as will be readily apparent.

The shirt s is preferably kept attached to the base of the helmet so that these two units are applied as one.

In applying the connected shirt and helmet to the diver, the assistant, standing in front of the diver, holds the helmet while the diver slips his hands into the sleeves. 'Ihe diver then holds the helmet himself and ducks his head into the waistband whereupon the shirt portion of the suit may be drawn over his head like a sweater.

The rubber waistband i5 which forms the bottom of the shirt is lapped over the band on the pants which already has .been stretched over the rigid waistband or ring i6 and thereafter an outer 'tension member or band i0 (see Figure 11) is applied.

'I'he outer band or tension member Il consists of a length of cable having a hook 2li on one end and a bearing bracket 2l on the opposite end thereof. An extension 12 projecting from the forward end of the bearing bracket and provided with flanges 23 serves as a guide to receive the hook portio 2li.

A tension screw 2l freely rotatable and slidable in the bearing bracket 2i and threaded into a nut member 25 which is detachably engageable behind the hook Il serves to draw the ends of the cable together. During such tensioning a head 26 on the outer end of the screw and to which a handle 21 is pivoted, bears against theouter face oi the bearing bracket as will be readily apparent.

The attachment of the helmet to the neckband of the shirt is similar to the manner in which the juncture is effected between the waist portions of the shirt and pants. To this end the neckband 9 of the shirt, like the waistbands of the shirt and pants, is formed of elastic rubber and its junction with the neck portion of the shirt is in the form of a V. front and back, to enable the neckband to be stretched about the lower edge oi the helmet.

Before applying the neckband to the base of the helmet a sealing compound 2t is applied to the outer surface of the helmet base; Vand Vafter the rubber neckband has been stretched over the base of the helmet, a tension member .29 is applied. The tension member is similar to the tension band it but preferably consists of a flexible ilat metal strip one end of which has a nut member 3U mounted thereon and the opposite end oi' which has a bearing bracket ti projecting therefrom.

A tension screw 32 similar to the screw 2t passes freely through the bearing bracket til and threads into the nut member tu.

The helmet iu is formed with a protuberance at in its freut portion and at opposite sides thereof are window openings 3d. These window openings are closed with a suitable transparent material which may be bent so as to conform to the curvature of the helmet. Pyrolin has been found exceptionally suitable for this purpose as this material is unbreakable and may be bent as required.

The protuberance it has a surface breathing port 35 therein adapted to be closed by a removable screw plug 36. When the diver is on the surface this plug is removed so that he may breathe fresh, outside air in the normal manner.

The protuberance t3 may be an integral part of the helmet wall or a separate piece welded to the front wall of the helmet, but in any event its lower portion continues around the base of the helmet below the window openings to form an air chamber di.

One end this air chamber opens to the interior of the helmet through an opening t@ and its opposite end connects with another'air chamber 39 which extends around the base of the helu.

met along its inner surface to a point adjacent to the rear thereof where it connects with an exhaust port tu leading to the exterior of the helmet.,

Inside the protuberance 33 is an upright extension di of the air chamber 3l which not only connects with the surface breathing port 3b but also opens to a soft rubber mask t2 fastened on the inside of the helmet. This mask 42 is similar to the soft rubber nose and mouth pieces of gas masks and the like and is so shaped as to comfortably and snugly t the face of the diver. The diver thus breathes through this mask.

It is to be observed that the position of the mask with relation to the windows is such that the diver has substantially 180 of vision merely by shifting his eyes laterally. This follows from the protuberant formation of the helmet, and obviously is a greatl convenience to the diver.

During inhalation the diver draws air from inside the suit through the opening 38 which leads to the air passage 31 and during exhalation, the air exhaled by the diver enters the 1: n l1 and passes out through the exhaust port 40. To assure these results, inlet and outlet ilutter valves Mnd M, respectively, are mounted in the wr .-i i 7 These valves as best shown in Figure 5 have base portions 45 of a size to fit the air passage 31 and completely close the same except for an opening 46' through the base portion which leads to the interior of the flutter valves. 'I'he flutter valves thus have the common function of check valv.

The inlet valve 63 is mounted in the air passage 31 at its open end 38. A cover plate d6 secured over all of that DOrtion of the opening tu at the downstream side of the flutter valve, removably h'olds the valve in position and permits air to be drawn from inside the helmet and suit past the valve and into the air passage t1.

The outlet valve M is removably mounted in the air passage 87 at its junction with the pase it. An opening M in the inner wall of the air in: 31 and a cover plate at provide for removably mounting this valve tt. So positioned. the valve M permits only pesage of air from the chamber 31 into the chamber it.

The outlet port il@ is adapted to have a flexible hose line tu quickly detachably secured thereto. This line leads to a purifier carried on the back of the diver as part of a cannister pack tu.

Another similar flexible hose line 5l connects the outlet of the purifier as well as the outlets of oxygen and inflation gas cartridges with an inlet port b2 which opens directly to the interior of the helmet and consequently the interior oi the entire suit.

The cannister pack M is conveniently strapped to the back of the diver by means of a harness comprising shoulder straps 53, a belt M and a jock strap M. The ends of all of these straps are connected to a weighted plate E6 worn 0n the cht of the diver.

At the bottom of the cannister pack are two valves M and tu both readily accessible to the divers h'ands. The former constitutes a by-pass valve, the opening of which enables the diver to admit oxygen into the suit in an emergency resulting from exhaustion of the supply of ination 3&8. The other valve tt controls the admission oi' iniation gas to the interior oi the suit.

The complete air supply circuit is diagrammatlcally illustrated in Flgure 14. As h'ere shown, the outlet from the engen cartridge Et has a main valve 60 in a main supply line i. This supply line leads to a. reduction valve 02 by which the pressure of the omen is reduced and to the by-pass valve El.

The outlet of the by-pass valve connects directly with a line 83 which leads to the air supply hose 5l and thence into the interior of the suit. The outlet -of the reduction valve leads to a retaricted orice 64 which discharges into the line The outlet of the inflation gas cartridge M leads to the control valve 58 and from the outlet of this valve as noted hereinbei'ore the inflation air passes through the duct $3 into the supply pipe 5I.

The outlet of the air puriiler 68 also leads to the duct 63, while the inlet to the purifier is connected to th'e exhaust line 49. 'I'he air purifier may be of any suitable design but preferably consists merely oi a quantity of soda lime in a suitable bailled container through which all the air exhaled by the diver ows. As it passes through the soda lime, the carbon dioxide is removed "from the exhaled air so th'at the air may bereturnedtothe suit.

valve 58 so that his buoyancy is at all times under his own control. He is, therefore, enabled best by experience. During descent th'e air inside the suit is compressed by the water pressure so that the suit collapses.- The level of collapse rises from the feet toward the helmet. By adjusting the valve 58 and admitting inflation gas. this level of collapse is maintained at the desired point, and when a diver reaches th'e bottomor the extent of his descent and he has adjusted the valve 58 to suit his comfort no further adjustments thereof are required,

Thereafter the functions vof the apparatus are automatically performed to maintain th'e air in proper condition. Oiwgenation and purification continue without attention from the diver who is thus enabled to direct his entire attention to whatever work he has been sent to do.

At the upper portion of the helmet is apressure relief valve indicated generally by the numeral 51. This valve as sh'own in detail in Figure 7 comprises a flange 88 secured in a hole in the upper side wall of the helmet.- 'Ihe outer portion of this ilange is bored to provide a valve pocket or chamber 88, the side wall of stepped to form a valve seat 10.

A valve plug 1I is slidably guided by a stem 12 passing through th'e ange 88- for movement to and from a closed position engaging the valve seat 18, and ports through the flange 88 communicate the valve pocket or chamber 89 with the interior of the helmet so that wh'en the valve plug is lifted from its seat a pressure relief opening is provided. v

The valve plug is yieldingly urged to its closed position by a spring 14 confined between the plug and a cap 15 threaded onto the iiange 68the cap being provided with ports 18. 'I'his cap 15 also has a central boss bored to receive the adjacent end of the valve stem and'so positioned that when the cap is screwed all the way onto the iiange the valve plug is positively held down on its seat.

Hence, by controlling the extent the cap 15 can be unscrewed, it is possible to regulate the degree of opening of the pressure relief valve, and to this end a lug 11 projects radially from the cap to collide with a stop 18.

On the inner end of the valve stem 12 is a button 18 so positioned that the diver may press against it with the side of his head when he desires to open the valve, providing, of course, that the cap 15 has `been unscrewed to allow such opening.

Another novel innovation in diving equipment resides in the provision of a microphone and earphone built into the helmet. For this purpose, the helmet has two cup-shaped caps 80 secured thereto over openings in its opposite side walls. One of these cup-shaped caps houses a microphone and the other has an earphone positioned therein. These phones are electrically connected through suitable conductors 8l with the terminals of a socket 82 in the upper portion of the helmet. This socket is adapted to which is.

.to locate' the level of cpllapse at the point taught have the terminal plug of a combination telephone cable and lifeline v88 readily detachably but securely connected thereto.

Attention is directed to the manner inwhich this combination lifeline and telephone cable is applied. As' shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is looped about the chest of the diver and secured by cleats 84 so that a pull on the line will not detach the terminal plug 83.

The end of the cable extends from the cleats 184 over the right shoulder and around the rear of the helmet for connection with the socket 82.

In case the combination telephone cable and lifeline becomes hopelessly tangled with a submerged object, the diver can disconnect the cable from the socket 82 and undo the cleats 84 to completely free himself of the line. He is, of course, then cut off from surface communication but can edect ascent under his own control by merely increasing his buoyancy through the admission of added inflation air.v

The shoes II` also embody novel features of construction as is clearly shown in Figures 9 and l0. The soles of these shoes consist of an inner sole 85 of wood orv like material and an outer tread 85 of lead or other heavy metal. Bolts 81 or other suitable securing means hold the treads to the soles 85.

'I'he uppers 88 of the shoes are preferablymade of canvas and are secured to the soles by screws 88er other fastening means passing through the marginal edges of the uppers and threaded into the wooden soles 85.

Attention is particularly directed to the formation of the toes of the shoes. As best shown in Figure 9, the toes are square and have substantial width. This materially reduces the tendency of the feet to rock as the diver walks over a subtipping over.

From the foregoing description taken in con- A the wall of ythe helmet and disposed substanv tially horizontally with a medial portion thereof extending across the front of the helmet and end portions at the sides of the helmet, a breathing port opening into the helmet through an inner wall of the medial portion of the passage, a mask connected to the breathing port and through which the diver breathes; the inner wall of the air passage at opposite sides of the breathing port having openings of substantial size leading to the interior of the helmet, and an outer wall of one end portion of the air passage having an outlet port leading to the exterior of the helmet; an outlet valve inserted into the air passage through the opening in that end of the air passage which leads to the outlet port and disposed 4across the air passage to open only upon exhalametal and having an air passage built into a wall thereof so as to be unitary with the helmet, said air passage being disposed horizontally in the lower portion of the helmet with a part thereof extending across the front of the helmet, a breathing port in said front part of the air passage opening to the interior of the helmet; an inletl port in an inner wall of the air passage also opening to the interior of the helmet, an exhaust port in an outer wall of the air passage opening to the exterior of the helmet, a mask connected with the breathing port through which the diver inhales and exhales from and into said air passage, an inlet valve interposed between the breathing port and the inlet port opening only on inhalation, and an outlet valve in the air passage between the breathing port and the exhaust port opening only on exhalation.

3. In a diving apparatus, a helmet made of metal and having an air passage built into a wall thereof so as to be unitary with the helmet, said air passage being disposed horizontally in the lower portion of the helmet with a part thereof extending across the front of the helmet, a breathing port in. said front part of the air passage opening to the interior of the helmet, an inlet port in an inner wall of the air passage also opening to the interior of the helmet, an exhaust port in an outer wall of the air passage opening to the exterior of the helmet, a mask connected with the breathing port through which the diver inhales and exhales from and into said air passage; an inlet valve interposed between the breathing port and the inlet port opening only on inhalation, an outlet valve in the air passage between the breathing port and the exhaust port opening only on exhalation, the exterior wall of the air passage adjacent to the breathing port having a surface breathing port, and a removable plug closing said surface breathing port.

4. In a diving apparatus, a metal helmet `formed with a protuberance in its front portion and windows adjacent thereto, said windows ex- ,tending a substantial distance to the sides of the helmet, the forward protuberance on the helmet enabling the diver's face to be positioned well forward in the helmet so as to increase the angle of side vision without necessitating turning the head, an air passage built into the helmetas an integral part thereof and extending from the protuberance substantially horizontally in opposite directions, said air passage having open connection with the interior of the protuberance, a breathing port in said protuberance; a mask connected to said breathing port through which the diver exhaies and inhales into and from the air passage, a valved inlet port connecting one end portion of the air passage with the interior of the helmet and opening only on inhalation so that the diver breathes air from inside the helmet, and a valved outlet port leading from the other end oi the air passage to the exterior of the helmet and opening only on exhalation.

5. A diving suit of the character described comprising: a flexible diving dress having a neck band; a helmet; a fluid tight connection between the helmet and the neck band of the diving dress; a mask inside the helmet through which the diver breathes; a valved inlet for the mask through which the diver breathes air from inside the suit.

, said inlet opening only upon inhalation; a valved outlet for the mask opening only upon exhalation; an air purifier connected with the valved outlet and the interior of the suit for purifying the air exhaled by the diver and returning it to the suit; a pressure tank containing life sustaining gas; a pressure tank containing inflation gas also suitable for life sustenance; duct means connecting both said tanks with the interior of the suit so that gas from either one or both tanks may be admitted into the suit; a pressure reducing valve through which the tank containing the life sustaining gas is connected with said duct means to continuously replenish the oxygen used up by the diver; a bypass around said pressure reducing valve; individual valves readily accessible to the diver for controlling said bypass and the flow of gas from the tank containing the iniiation gas so that Athe diver has at his command two sources of life sustaining gas as well as a source of buoyancy producing gas; and a normally closed exhaust valve in the helmet adapted to be opened by pressure applied to the actuator of the valve by means of the diver's head so that the diver also has at his command means for adjusting his buoyancy and maintaining the level of collapse of the suit at the most comfortable point.

6. A diving apparatus comprising: a flexible diving dress having a neck band; a helmet; a fluid tight connection between the helmet and the neckband of the diving dress; a mask inside the helmet through which the diver breathes; a valved inlet for the mask through which the diver inhales air from inside the suit, said inlet opening only on inhalation; an inlet port on the helmet opening directly to the interior thereof; an outlet port on the helmet; an air passage in the helmet connecting the mask with said outlet port; an outlet valve in said passage opening only on exhalation; a tank containing life sustaining gas; a tank containing inflation gas under pressure; an air purier cannister; means for supporting said tanks and the cannister on the back of the diver outside the diving dress; a flexible hose connection leading from the outlet port on the helmet to the inlet of the air puriner cannister; a single nexibie hose connection leading from the outlet of the air purifier cannister and from both tanks to the inlet port on the helmet; and valves for controlling flow from said tanks into the helmet whereby oxygen supply and buoyancy may be controlled by the diver.

7. In a diving apparatus: a metal helmet formed with a protuberance in its front portion and windows adjacent thereto, said windows extending a substantial distance to the sides of the helmet; the forward protuberance on the helmet enabling the diver's face to be positioned well forward in the helmet so as to increase the angle oi' side vision without necessitating turning the diver's head, an air passage built into the helmet as an integral part thereof, said air passage connecting with the protuberance and having a lbreathing port in said protuberance leading to the interior of the helmet, a mask connected to the breathing port through which the diver exhales and inhales to and from said air passage: means for exhausting exhaled air from said passage; and means for admitting fresh air to said passage.

JOHN W. BROWNE. 

